Airship-destroyer.



J. M. SALADINER.

AIRSHIP DESTROYER.

mcnmu men OCT- 4. 1912.

1 ,284, 149. Patented Nov. 5, 1918..

3 SHEETS-SHEET an mm for (Nor w s J. M. SALADINER.

AIHSHIP DESTROYER.

APPLICATION men on. 4. Ian.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Patented Nov. 5, 1918 J. M. SALADINER.

AIRSHIP DESTROYER.

APPLICATION men OCT- 4. 1911.

Patented Nov. 5, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

E111 uevlfoz wi/lmcoo JOSEPH M. SALADINEB, OF BRYAN, TEXAS.

AIRSHIP-DESTROYER.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1918.

Application filed October 4, 1917. Serial No. 194,726.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH M. SALADINER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at sure ofthe destruction ofthe airship if it' islwithin the limits of range of the projecti e.

Another object of the invention is the provision of novel means forigniting the fuses, when the projectile is shot from a gun, and forpriming the device to start firing at a predetermined altitude.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a bomb to beexploded on contact with the airship, or at the extreme limit ofmovement of the projectile.

A still further ob ect of the invention is to provide the projectilewith a rocket for propelling it to greater altitudes after the force ofits momentum is nearly spent in acting against gravity.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed without de arting from the spirit of theinvention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the device. Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged crosssections on the respective lines 2-2 and 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4: is a longitudinal section, portions being shown in elevation.

Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged sections on the respective lines 5-5 and 6-6of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a detail view showing one of the fuse cutters and spoon-shapeddeflector.

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 88 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a detail view illustrating the charges within one of thebarrels. The structure includes a cylindrical cas ing 1 of suitabledimensions, and provided with a conical or tapered nose 2, and arotatable base 3 fitted partially therein. A stem or tail 4: extendsfrom the base or lower end of the casing axially thereof, and disposedaxially within the casing is a tubular chamber 5, forming part of thepropelling rocket, said chamber containing a suitable propelling powder6. The rear or lower end of the chamber 5 is united with the stem 4, andsaid stem has a bore 7 leading longitudinally therethrough from thechamber 5 to the rear end of the stem, which is provided with a timefuse 8. The bore 7 contains powder, which in being ignited by the fuse8', in turn ignites the powder 6, and the same blowing out through thebore 7 will, by reaction, serve to propel the device as a rocket. Thestem 4. is adapted to fit in the bore of the barrel B of ananti-aircraft gun, with the base 3 seating on the muzzle of the barrel,whereby the gun in being fired will project the device upwardly in thedirection aimed, the stem or tail 4 holding the device coincident withits line of flight. The time fuse 8 is ignited by the firing of the gun,and said time fuse will in turn ignite the powder within the bore 7,after the projectile has reached a predetermined altitude, at which itsforce of momentum is nearly spent, and at which time the powder 6 inbeing ignited will raise the device to a greater altitude, propelling itin the manner of a skyrocket.

A bomb 10 is located within the nose of the casing and is connected byatube 9 with the forward or upper end of the chamber 5, said tube 9containing a powder train, which will be ignited after the powder 6burns up to the upper end of the chamber 5. Thus, as the devlce reachesits limit of elevation, the bomb 10 will be exploded, to destroy theairship should it be at the limit of the range of the projectile. Apercussion cap or primer 11 for the bomb 10 is provided at the point ofthe nose 2 to explode said bomb by contact with the airship, should thisoccur.

Disposed within the casing 1 at longitudinally spaced points are aplurality of sets of barrels 12, the barrels of each set beingarstructure. Each barrel has therein a series of charges to be fired insuccession. Thus, a series of longitudinally spaced explosive charges 13are provided in each barrel, and

wads 14 are disposed in front of said explosive charges, and in frontofeachwad 14: there is a bomb 15 and pellets '16 held in place by 'wads17, which also serve to separate the successive charges. A time fuse 18extends along each barrel 12 and 'has branches 19 extending into thebarrel to the respective charges 13, whereby said explosive charges areignited in succession. The bombs 15 are provided with suitable fuses toexplode themwhen they are shot a predetermined distance from the barrel.

As a means for igniting the fuses 18 after a desired predeterminedinterval of time elapses after the projectile has been fired,

and reaches a certain altitude, master fuses 20, one for each fuse 18,are disposed in iongitudinal grooves 21 provided in the periphcry of thecasing 1 and leading rearwardly from the muzzles of the respectivebarrels 12. The fuses 20 are employed for timing the ignition of thefuses 18 with which the forward ends of the master fuses are connectedthrough the casing or shell 1. Longitudinal screws 22 are disposedwithin the casing, one for each longitudinal series of fuses 20, saidscrews being journaled through spiders 23 secured to the chamber 5 andtube 9. Nuts 24:, one for each fuse 20, threadedly engage the screws andproject outwardly through longitudinal slots 25 in the casing.

'Attached to the nuts on the exterior of the casing are spoon-shapeddeflectors 26 extending rearwardly and merging, at their forwardportions, into pointed cutters 27 proj ecting forwardly and movable inthe grooves .21. The deflectors 26 and'their cutters 27 are normally atthe rear ends of the'slots 25 and fuses 20, and when said deflectors andcutters are moved forwardly by the rotation of the screws 22, thecutters 27 will move within the coverings of the fuses 20 which aresecuredin the grooves 21,- and slit open said coverings, exposing thepowder therein in rear of said cutters, in order that the flash ofpowder surrounding the. projectile when it is fired from the gun, willbe directed by deflectors 26 to the powder of the fuses 20 at the pointsto which the cutters 27 have been advanced, the deflectors 26 catchingand di recting the flame toward the fuses 20 and to the cutters 27.Thus, the further the cutters 27 are advanced, the less will be thelength of the fuses 20 from the points where they are slit to theirconnection with the fuses 18, thus lessening the time. required for theignition of the fuses 18. The ignition of the last mentioned fuses canvalso be timed by advancing the cutters 27 according to a suitable scaleof graduations for the fuses 20.

In order to set all of the deflectors 26 and cutters 27 simultaneously,pinions 28 are attached to the rear ends of the screws 22 and mesh withinternal gear teeth 29- with which the rotatable base 3 of the casing isprovided. The base 3 has handles 30 normally folded behind the same,which can be swung outwardly for turning said base by hand before theprojectile is fired. This enables the base 3 to be conveniently turnedfor rotating the pinions 28 and screws 22, thus advancing the cutters 27the desired distance, to rip,

' wardly around the casing 1, will be de ected by the deflectors 26 tothe powder in the fuses 20 at the cutters 27, thus igniting said fuses.Therefore, when the projectile reaches the predetermined altitude, thefuses 20 having burned to their point of connection with the fuses 18,will ignite the latter fuses, and

they will in turn ignite the explosive charges.

The first 13 of the barrels in succession. charges 13 of the barrels areignited simultaneously at one altitude, firing the pellets 16 and bombs15 in various directions, the bombs 15 exploding at certain distancesfrom the line of flight of the projectile. The second charges 13 areignited at a higher higher altitude, thus providing for repeated firingof the pellets and bombs in various directions at various altitudes, toassure of the destruction of the airship. The time fuse 8, which wasignited when the projectile was fired, i ites the powder within the bore7 after t e projectile has reached a certain altitude, thus causing saidpowder to be forced out violently through the rear end of the bore 7,propelling the projectile by reaction, in the manner of a skyrocket, toelevate it to greater altitudes after its momentum is nearly spent. Inthis way, the force delivered to the projectile by the gun, isaccentuated to carry the projectile a greater height. Should theprojectile accidentally strike the airship, the percussion cap 11 willignite the bomb, which will put I altitude, and the third charges 13 ata still up to said tube, so that the bomb 10 will be ignited after theprojectile has reached its limit of upward movement, creating a finalexplosion at greatest height to reach the aircraft if the pellets 16 andbombs 15 do not.-

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An anti-aircraft projectile including a casing, reinforcing tubesextending through the casing, said tubes being crossed and openingthrough the wall of the casing, each tube being closed at one end, aseries of separated gun charges Within each tube, each charge includingan explosive, a projectile, and a wad, a fuse extending along each tubefor igniting the charges successively, and simultaneously adjustablemeans for timing the initial explosions in the respective tubes.

2. A projectile having a time fuse, and a movable flame deflector havingmeans for cutting the fuse open.

3. A projectile having a time fuse, a movable member, means foradvancing it, a deflector carried by said member, and a cutter carriedby the deflector to slit the fuse open, the deflector being designed fordeflecting 2 181.; flame of discharge to said cutter and 4. A projectileembodying a casing, firing charges carried thereby, longitudinal timefuses carried by the casin forigniting said charges, members mova lelongitudinally along the casing, deflectors carried by said members onthe exterior of the casing, cutters carried by said deflectors forcutting the fuses open, said deflectors serving to deflect the flame ofdischarge to said fuses and cutters, and means within the casing foradjusting said members. v

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH M. SALADINER. Witnesses:

S. M. HUNTER, R. Q. ARLIN.

